


Jerome, You Were Born Bad

by DarkLordFluffy



Series: Which Psycho is Truly Psycho? [1]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Jerome was not born bad, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27555991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkLordFluffy/pseuds/DarkLordFluffy
Summary: The Jerome we know may be a grinning psycho. But was he really born that way? In this we explore how Jerome the Grinning Maniac might have come to be. Because even Jerome was a child once.This is a prequel of sorts that explores his life leading up to his introduction to the show.
Series: Which Psycho is Truly Psycho? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110416
Kudos: 5





	Jerome, You Were Born Bad

**The Prologue.**

Jerome didn't know why his mother didn't seem to love him. He wasn't a particularly bad kid. In fact if he hadn't been born in the circus, he'd think he was a pretty normal kid for his age. Maybe a little more hyper than he needed to be. But not an unusual amount of hyper. He was a kid. He actually thought that his brother was way less normal than him. Way too calm and quiet. Like he was a mini adult. But their mom seemed to love him more. Not that that really made Jerome love Miah less. It wasn't Miah's fault. Jeremiah was his identical twin brother. And ever since they could talk, it seemed as if people at Haly's circus treated him better than Jerome. Like he was their golden child. It was probably because Miah was incredibly smart. Like prodigy level smart. Jerome had a theory that mom treated him better because she figured Miah would be really successful when he was older and she wanted him as a meal ticket when she was too old to work as a snake dancer. She didn't think Jerome would do anything with his life. She actually told him that several times. Jerome found that a bit unfair. He wasn't stupid. He was really smart too. But he couldn't hold a candle to Miah's level of intellect. And he wasn't as interested in academics as his brother. He thought he might want to be an entertainer instead. Maybe a magician? He loved magic tricks. He bugged the circus magician to teach him little tricks from time to time. The Great Rudolfo wasn't particularly warm with him but he wasn't mean and he did teach him a few tricks. Most of the other carnies barely paid attention to Jerome at all. The only one he really had that cared was his brother, Miah. He loved his brother so much. Miah was his everything. He hoped that Miah got everything he wanted in life. So he didn't really blame him for taking all of the attention. Like he said, he didn't do it on purpose. And Miah defended him when the adults were mean to him. He'd do anything for Miah.

One time, Miah wanted to sneak into the chuck wagon to get some of their uncle's freshly baked cookies. Jerome told him he'd do it himself and grab a few for Miah as well. But Uncle Zach caught him. Uncle Zach was not a nice man. In fact, when he had been drinking, he often made Jerome's mother seem nice in comparison. He grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to the stove. "Little brat. I'll teach you what you get if you try and steal from me." He took Jerome's arm and shoved it into the pot of boiling chicken stock. Jerome screamed. After what felt like forever, his hand was removed. He had a nasty burn as a result. He couldn't figure out why no one at the circus called his uncle out on it despite obviously knowing how it happened. Why did no one care? Miah was the one that had to bandage his hand. At least Miah cared. He didn't know what he would do without Miah.

**Ninth Birthday.**

When Jerome and Jeremiah turned nine years old, only Miah got a gift. It was an educational book but it was still a gift. It wasn't exactly against the norm though. People often forgot Jerome had a birthday at all, much less the same one as his brother. Miah loved his gift. Jerome, however, got a beating instead. Mom made sure to wait until Miah went off somewhere to read before starting. She and her current lover, a snake salesmen that had sold her current snake to her, were drunk off their asses and took turns using him as a punching bag. He finally got a break when she locked him out of the trailer. He was sniffling and feeling bad about himself when the fortune teller came up to him. 

"Why are you crying, Jerome?" the man asked.

Jerome looked up at him. He was hoping the man would show him some sympathy. The guy actually acted somewhat nice to him at times. "It's my birthday. And my mom and the snake guy are beating me."

"This world doesn't care about you or anyone else, Jerome." the man said, offering no comfort. "Better to realize that now." the man walked away, leaving him alone. Jerome couldn't understand why no one but Miah tried to stop his mother or his uncle from hurting him.

**Tenth Birthday.**

Next year, Jerome and Jeremiah's tenth birthday was mostly the same as always. Jeremiah got a book and Jerome got nothing. There were two differences that year though. One was a positive thing. Mom was apparently so drunk that day that she didn't feel like doing anything. So Jerome was ignored. Which was a definite improvement. But the other thing was weird. Miah's gift was an educational book like always. And it was in the kind of subject he enjoyed. Engineering. But he actually looked a bit unhappy. Jerome tried asking him what was wrong.

"Nothing's wrong." Miah said dismissively as he stared at his book. "Don't worry about it."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Jerome said. "You're my twin. I always know when something's wrong. Please tell me. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"It's nothing. I just..." Miah looked frustrated. "I just wish that I had more than a few measly books and carny tutors to learn the things I want to learn. This place is holding me back. But there isn't anything I can do. Mom isn't just going to go and get a normal job in some town. Not when she can travel all over to meet new men. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"We could run away. We could stay in some interesting city for more than just a week. For forever. We could go to a real school. And then you can be some famous scientist or engineer and I can wow audiences on stage."

Miah smiled a little at the thought. "What would you do? Acting? Stand up comedy?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'd be a magician. It doesn't really matter. I just want people to look at me and actually think I'm worth something. I don't think I'd ever get that here. Not even if Rudolfo trains me as his replacement someday. So maybe we should leave. Mom wouldn't even really care. We'd have each other. Your book smarts. My toughness. Nothing could stop us." Jerome said thinking about it and smiling.

"It's not a bad idea...leaving that is." Miah said thinking. "I don't want to be here anymore. But we can't just leave. Where would we go? How would we get money? And if we were found, they'd just send us back to mom."

"Then use that brilliant mind of yours and think of something." Jerome said smiling encouragingly. "If anyone can find a way, its you."

They didn't say anything more about running away. But Jerome hoped that Miah had taken his advice and started thinking of a way to get them out of there.

**Gotham.**

Jerome and Miah were surprised when their uncle had a visitor one night while the circus was in Gotham city. A rather well off looking visitor. And they seemed rather chummy. The two men sat down and had a long chat about the old days. Jerome and Miah listened in but kept their distance. Apparently this guy, who was named Harold Wilde, was an old friend of Uncle Zach.

"It's so weird you didn't try and make something of yourself, Zach." Mr. Wilde said. "I would've thought you'd be all for going off and starting your own restaurant. You have the skills for it."

"With what money, Harold?" Zach said snorting. "You may be rolling in dough, but I'm not."

"I do still owe you for that one thing way back. If you want I could fit the bill. It's the least I can do." Mr. Wilde said.

Zach laughed. "But then it wouldn't be my accomplishment. It would be yours. That wouldn't feel right to me even if it is tempting."

"Well if you change your mind, I'm here. You're going to be in Gotham for a whole week. Just think about it." the man said not giving up.

"Ok I will. But I'll still probably say no."

Miah acted weird that night. He was very distant like he was thinking. He didn't share with Jerome what he was thinking. It frustrated Jerome. He went to sleep on the other side of the bed they shared and stared at his brother who was turned away from him.

**A Week From Hell.**

**Monday.**

The next day after Jerome was in the middle of his chores, his mom came up to him and smacked him. He stared at her in shock. Why had she done that? She didn't even look drunk. "What was that for?"

"You know what it's for!" She yelled at him. "Miah didn't want to tell me where he got them but I convinced him to. I know what you did!"

"What did I do?" Jerome asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

"Don't pretend you're innocent, brat!" she said before smacking him again. "I saw the bruises! If I see any more on Miah, you are going to get the beating of your life!" she walked away in a huff.

Jerome didn't know what she was talking about. He hadn't hurt Miah. He'd never hurt Miah. Had Miah said he had? Why? Why would he do something like that?

Jerome confronted Miah about what he told mom. But Miah just brushed him off and rushed off. Miah actually started acting scared of Jerome. Jerome was extremely hurt by that. Why would he act like this? He hadn't done anything to Miah to deserve this.

**Tuesday.**

Jerome was helping Uncle Zach in the chuck wagon. Usually his uncle forbade he circus kids from his domain. But he had planned his famous potato soup for that night and needed potatoes peeled. So he told Jerome to do it. Jerome was so busy peeling potatoes that he didn't hear Miah come in until he saw him grab a knife. He leapt back startled.

"What are you going to do with that?" Jerome asked weirded out. "If uncle catches you messing with his knives he'll be really mad."

Miah put the knife to his own throat and made a little cut, wincing a bit as he did it. "No. Please don't hurt me, Jerome!" Miah yelled. Then he dropped the knife at Jerome's feet and ran out of the chuck wagon.

Jerome didn't know what to do. Did Miah just set him up? Why? He was so shocked by what happened that he didn't think to leave the wagon. And then he saw Uncle Zach enter with an enraged look on his face.

"You little psycho!" Uncle Zach yelled before grabbed by the scruff of his neck and dragging him outside. "My sister should've just drowned you when you were born! I knew you were no good!"

A few carnies were standing nearby and it looked like one of them was comforting Miah. Miah was crying into their chest. His brother was setting him up. That confirmed it. He was so shocked that his own brother would do something like this to him that he barely felt as his uncle beat him senseless. And he woke up later inside their mom's trailer dumped on the tiny uncomfortable couch. Which he was told by his mother would be his new bed until he stopped being a psycho.

**Wednesday.**

He didn't bother explaining to them that he was innocent. Because he knew they wouldn't believe him. Their golden child could do no wrong. He had no idea what he did to Miah to make him treat him this way. But he vowed to make it right. He went up to Miah to apologize even though he wasn't sure what he was apologizing for.

"I'm so sorry Miah. I don't know what I did to make you do any of this." Jerome said teary eyed. "But it must've been bad. So I'm sorry. Please stop. Please just let things go back to the way they were. You're my brother. I love you." 

"You didn't do anything." Miah said quietly. "But that doesn't matter now." he walked away, leaving Jerome more confused and hurt than before. He hadn't done anything wrong to Miah? Then why was Miah hurting him?

That night, as Jerome was trying to get some sleep on the tiny couch and failing, he saw Miah standing outside the small bedroom that used to belong to both of them.

"I'm sorry." Miah said whispering, trying not to wake up their mom.

"Why Miah? Why did you do those things? Please tell me." Jerome begged him for answers.

"Come back to our bed. I'll tell mom tomorrow that I lied." he said whispering.

Jerome felt a spark of hope in his chest. He followed his brother to their bedroom. Miah sat on the bed and smiled sadly at him as he pulled the covers up around himself. Jerome smiled back at him. But before he could get into bed with him, Miah pulled out a lighter. "I'm sorry." He lit his bed on fire and then screamed.

Jerome stared at him extremely hurt. All hope died. This was just another trick. Their mom woke up and pushed Jerome to the side roughly as she rushed to the bed to put it out in any way she could. Miah acted extremely scared. When the fire was out, their mother whirled around and gave Jerome a death glare. "What is wrong with you?!" She tossed him outside and locked the door, making Jerome have to sleep outside for the rest of the night. Not that he got any sleep. No. He just curled up in a ball and cried. He had actually believed Miah when he acted like he was going to tell the truth. He had hoped things would go back to normal. But it was a lie. He was so scared of what Miah would claim he did next. He didn't know what to do. No one was going to believe him. He had no one to turn to. The only one he would've gone to for comfort was the one torturing him now. Was this what Hell felt like?

**Thursday.**

Jerome must've passed out at some point because a carny kicked him awake and then walked away shaking his head in disgust. It was morning. What new thing would Miah claim today? He dragged himself up and got to work on his chores. Normally, he'd get breakfast first, but he didn't want to be anywhere near his uncle right then. But as the day went on, he didn't see much of his uncle. He overheard a carny say that his uncle went into town. He didn't see Miah much either. Only brief glimpses. It seemed the carnies were trying to keep him away from Miah. He wasn't unhappy that they kept him away. Because that meant Miah couldn't claim he hurt him again. What little he saw of his mom worried him. She looked sad. Not angry at him. Just sad at something.

At the end of the day, Jerome's mom told him that Miah would be spending the night in another carny's trailer. So he could have their bed for the night. He settled into bed that night really depressed. He wanted his brother to be nice to him again. For him to smile at him again and help him with schoolwork and annoy him with science facts. No matter what he did, he still loved Miah. Even if he was never nice to him again, he just wanted him to explain why he hurt him so much. No matter how much Jerome tried to wrap his head around it, he couldn't figure out why.

**Friday.**

Jerome woke up tired and depressed. He slowly got ready for the day. He hoped that today he could get Miah alone. Maybe get him to explain. He went outside and tried to ignore how the other carnies glared at him like he was a psycho. He went about his day as usual but couldn't find Miah anywhere. He eventually gave up and went up to one of the Graysons, whose trailer Miah had stayed in last night.

"Hey, have you seen Miah?" Jerome asked.

The Grayson gave him a disgusted look. "Why? So you can go use him as a punching bag or something?"

"No. I just haven't seen him all day. I was worried." Jerome said.

"He isn't here." the guy said dismissively.

"Did Uncle Zach take him into the city for something?" Jerome asked confused. "When will they get back?"

"Jeremiah is never coming back, Jerome." the man said glaring at him. "You can't hurt him anymore."

"What?"

"Go ask your mother. I don't really want to talk to you." the man said before walking away.

Jerome went to his mother and asked her where Miah was.

"He's gone. Forget about him." she sneered at him. "He's going to have a much better life now that he's away from you."

"You sent him away?" Jerome asked.

"Yeah. We did. It was the only way to stop you. We knew it was only a matter of time before you killed him." she said. "Your jealousy of your brother is pathetic. So it ends now. You will never see him again."

**The Truth.**

Jerome knew the truth now. He knew why Miah had lied about him. It made so much sense when combined with the end result. He had told Miah that he should find a way to get out of the circus. But he had meant getting them both out of the circus. Miah had listened to him. But only thought about himself. Miah had betrayed him. He had sacrificed him to get out. Now Miah would have everything he wanted. A normal life with an actual school. And Jerome was stuck at the circus. And now everyone hated him and thought he was a monster. All because Miah felt like being selfish.

Now that Jerome had a second look at past events, he realized just how cold and manipulative his brother really was. Almost everything Jerome had gotten in trouble for in the past that he wasn't responsible for had likely been Miah's doing. If he remembered correctly, the dead and cut up alley cats that the carnies had blamed Jerome for seemed like Miah's doing as well. Miah had gotten a book on anatomy just before the animal corpses started showing up. How had Jerome never seen how disturbed his brother was? He had been fooled just like everyone else. Miah was very good at acting innocent it seemed. Miah was the psycho, not him. But no one would ever see that. Because his brother was just too good at hiding.

Jerome didn't know how to deal with the fact that the only one he ever loved betrayed him this much. Miah had to have known how people would treat Jerome after he went through with this plan. Which means Miah didn't care enough not to do it. Had Miah ever loved him at all? He felt like he was breaking. His life felt so empty now. He had no one. The fortune teller was right. The world didn't care. And if there was a god, it was a cruel one.

**The Aftermath.**

If Jerome thought that the week Miah put him through was hell, it was only because he hadn't yet experienced what would happen next. His mom stopped even trying to be civil with him. She had never really been kind to him but at least when she wasn't drunk she used to treat him like a person. Now she ignored him most days when she wasn't finding something to nag at him for or punish him for. His uncle was even worse. He made sure to never be alone with the man. Because he had a feeling the man wouldn't mind killing him. None of the carnies had ever really cared about him and mostly ignored him before. Now they were all snide comments and mean words. They didn't hide their contempt for him. The magician, Rudolfo refused to even talk with him, much less train him as a magician. And even threatened that he'd stab him with a throwing knife if he went near his magic props. The only one that wasn't nasty was the fortune teller. But even he wasn't the same. He merely seemed determined that Jerome was alive and somewhat in one piece. He didn't bother with much else, and definitely didn't care about his mental wellbeing. Jerome had no idea why the guy even bothered with the little caring he did manage.

His new life never really stopped being bad. And at some point, he had gotten tired of everyone calling him a psycho and it not being true. He stopped caring. About the world. About other people. About anything. If the world was only ever going to view him as a psycho then why should he try to be a good person? It wasn't like anyone ever noticed when he was a good person. They only noticed when he was bad. If he was damned anyway, what was the point? 

**A Psycho is Born.**

When Jerome was seventeen, the circus stopped in Gotham for a week. It had been a really bad day for him. Not just because he realized that Miah might be out there in that city right then. It was because his mother was in a particularly bad mood that day. She would not stop pushing all day. Nagging him about what he hadn't done yet. Complaining about things he had done. Telling him he was worthless. All the damn day. It was really getting on his nerves.

It all came to a head that evening. She had just said goodbye to the clown, Owen Lloyd, who she had just been banging in the next room. She hadn't even bothered to keep it down as he did the dishes. She told him he had done a horrible job at the dishes and he was just done with the situation. He left and went for a walk. But she wouldn't let it go. She hated that he walked away from her.

"Don't you dare walk away from me." Lila said. "You disrespectful brat. Why do I even bother with you? I should've just dumped you on the street!"

He had enough. He whirled around and yelled. "Then why didn't you?! I think anything would be better than living with you for this long! If you hate me than why do you insist on keeping me around?! I hate you soo much." he said the last part with pure rage in his voice.

"How dare you!" she said, so enraged that she didn't notice that Jerome had grabbed a nearby axe.

He grinned a maniac's grin as he swung the axe at her, hitting her several times. When he was finished he stared at what he had done. He stared at his mother's corpse with a blank look. He had finally done it. He had finally snapped and proven them right. He was a psycho. But he found he didn't really care. The bitch was dead. She deserved it. He laughed maniacally. Things were going to change. He could feel it. He couldn't wait. His brother had better hope he's hidden himself well. Because Jerome was going to find him. And show him the monster he's created.

**Author's Note:**

> I was talking to this guy on reddit about how Jerome might not have been all that crazy to start with. All we have are Jeremiah's claims to go on what Jerome was like. And he's not exactly the most reliable source given how much he likes to lie to make himself look good. Jerome even implied in the show that Miah's claims that Jerome hurt him were lies. Think about what that would do to a child for their identical twin brother, the only person they cared about, to throw them under the bus like that. And then abandon them to what they probably knew would be a very bad childhood. If this is what canonically happened, well no wonder Jerome eventually snapped. And no wonder Jerome was mad at Miah. That's probably why he wanted to gas him. To show Miah and the world that Jeremiah isn't the sane one.


End file.
